Spaghetti Bolognese Filipino-style
Spaghetti Bolognese is an Italian classic that is sure to please the whole family. Its meaty, red sauce is made from crushed tomatoes, ground beef, and herbs and spices. The best part is that it can be made easily on a weeknight. First, heat olive oil in a large pot. Add chopped onions, celery, carrots, and garlic. Sauté until they begin to sizzle. Stir in the diced tomatoes.
Ingredients
- 300-400 g Minced pork or beef,
- 50-100 g Pork liver minced or choppedOlive oil, 23tbsp
- 6-8 cloves Garlic crushed and minced
- 1 whole Onions chopped
- 40 g Raisins 1 small packet
- 500 g Pasta
- Fish sauce to season
- 400 g Tomato sauce 1 can
- 1 tbsp Sweet chili sauce
- ½ cup Water for the sauce
- 1 tbsp Italian herbs
- ½ tbsp Dried oregano
- ½ tbsp Dried basil
- Grated cheese as much as desired
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Water to cook the pasta with
- 4-5 tbsp Salt
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in salted water.
I used 4-5tbsp of salt in my water. You can put more salt if you like. It won’t make your pasta salty. If anything, it will give it its own taste. Be generous with the salt is all I’m saying. Also, there is no need to follow the instructions in the pasta packets to a T. You determine whether your pasta is ready or not. Test it by getting a strand from the pot. Bite it in the middle and check if it still has an “eye” or a center. If yes, then give it a few more minutes. If none, turn off the heat. Your pasta should be ready.
- When the pasta cooks, strain and set aside.
- Pasta bolognese
- Heat cooking oil in a pan.
- Saute the garlic.
- When the garlic turns golden, add in the onions.
- When the onions turn sweaty, put in the pork (or beef). Stir well.
- Season the dish with fish sauce.
Earlier I mentioned that this pasta recipe has a touch of Thai cooking in it. It’s the fish sauce. I noticed that Thai food usually uses fish sauce rather that salt for seasoning. I find it more subtle in taste than salt. You can use salt though, if you wish.
- Saute the dish well.
Cooking the pork is the most that takes time in this recipe. I want to saute it well so that its fats mix well into the dish. It takes me 1015 minutes under medium to high heat before I proceed to the next steps.
- Add in the pork liver.
- When the liver is cooked, put in the raisins. Stir well.
- Add the water. Stir well.
- When the dish boils, add the tomato sauce. Cook under lowmedium heat.
- When it simmers, add the sweet chili sauce. Stir well.
- Put in the Italian herbs, oregano and basil. Stir well.
- Add in the cheese.
- Season with salt and pepper.
You may notice that after step 8, everything else would follow quickly. As soon as the proteins are cooked, I just add in the other ingredients one by one. I let the sauce simmer to another 510 minutes under low heat before I season with salt and pepper. Adjust the sweet chili sauce to your liking, too. If you want a hotter pasta sauce, add a little more in there.
Video
Notes
For a richer flavor, use beef stock. The sauce is usually thick and flavorful. Add Worcestershire sauce and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the spaghetti and serve it with the sauce. To save time, use a store-bought spaghetti sauce. It's easy to make this dish, and it makes a delicious dinner for the whole family. It's a great way to satisfy the family!